Fresh Chinese humanitarian aid reaches quake-hit Syria

A plane landed in Damascus on Wednesday with a batch of humanitarian aid from China to help Syria overcome the repercussions of last week's powerful earthquakes.

Chinese Ambassador to Syria Shi Hongwei and Moataz Dawji, the assistant minister of Syria's Local Administration and Environment Ministry, were at the airport to witness the transfer of the aid supplies.

At the airport, Shi told reporters that the aid constitutes 80 tons of medical supplies, such as respirators and oxygen-generating devices, as well as tents, first aid kits, blankets, winter clothes, and food materials.

Shi said that though separated by thousands of miles, China and Syria have always been good and true friends who help each other and look out for each other.

"The Chinese government will provide more urgent humanitarian assistance, whether food or medicinal materials, as well as communication equipment to support the Syrian efforts in overcoming the earthquake disaster," the ambassador added.

For his side, Dawji said that the Syrian government's priority now is to help the survivors and provide them with the help they need, expressing the belief that Syrians can overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes with help from friends like China.

After the massive earthquakes that jolted Turkey and neighboring Syria on February 6, China has been actively providing assistance to the two countries. The Chinese Red Cross Society moved immediately, providing two batches of humanitarian supplies to Syria, which arrived in Damascus on February 9 and 13 respectively.